


Seven Years, On Repeat

by Steelneko



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Child Timeline, includes Majora's Mask canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 11:29:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1093381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steelneko/pseuds/Steelneko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After saving Hyrule from Ganon, Link is given the chance to live his life over again. It's a long journey back to seventeen, even for the Hero of Time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seven Years, On Repeat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aeriel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeriel/gifts).



The light vanishes, and suddenly Link is ten again. He stands inside the Temple of Time, next to the Master Sword's pedestal. For the first moments of new awareness, he can't do much more than stand there and breathe. After everything he's gone through to save Hyrule, after the massive battle with Ganon he's just fought, everything is too quiet, too bright.

He feels out of place in his own smaller skin. He's an adult in the body of a child now, and everything feels wrong. He's too small. He's too weak. It's natural to grow up; it's harder than anything he's ever imagined to grow down.

He's faintly aware of Navi leaving him and disappearing out a window, but he's still too stunned to react.

He slowly reaches down into his pocket. There's not much there except the Kokiri Emerald, Saria's ocarina, and a few deku nuts. He really is back at the very beginning, he realizes. Ganondorf hasn't seized power yet. They can do things differently this time.

They can save Hyrule.

There's a crack in the wall leading back to the Temple of Time. He nearly falls as he crosses the room; he's so used to being taller he can't quite judge the right distance anymore. He steps back into the temple, and the entrance seals behind him. 

Link heads into town and almost cries at the sight of it being full of life again. He has to convince himself to press on and sneak back through the castle grounds.

Zelda's still standing at the window where he first met her so long ago. She turns at the sound of his approach. In her childish face he can see the both the soft shadow of her future self and the hard edges of Sheik.

"You're back already," she says, surprise in her voice. "Did you get the other stones?"

"We can't do this," Link says bluntly.

Zelda blinks in surprise. "But why?" she asks. "You just agreed to help me with this plan. It's only been a few minutes since you left."

Link raises his hand. The Triforce mark on the back glows softly. Zelda lets out a gasp at the sight and as another as a similar mark appears on her own hand.

"Because we already did it," Link says. "Ganondorf wants us to open the time doors for him so he can get his hands the Triforce. But he can't control all three pieces, and he spends years utterly destroying the country trying to find them. We cannot open those doors."

Zelda's stares at Link.

"How do you know this?" she asks.

Link takes a deep breath, and he tells her everything.

He tells her of Ganondorf, and the monster he became; of awakening the sages, and slaying the monsters that roamed the land; of the Master Sword sending him forward in time, and the princess sending him back. Through it all, Zelda listens without saying anything. Link can't tell if she believes him or not, but at least she's not dismissing him out of hand.

He finishes, and Zelda stands there for a minute before sinking down to sit on the grass. She motions for Link to sit next to her, and he does.

"So what do we do instead?" Zelda asks. "I've tried to warn my father and the courtiers that Ganondorf is not a good man, but no one listens to me." She turns her head to stare directly at Link. "If we can't use the Triforce, then what?"

Link thinks it over. "Then I guess we have to take it as it comes. We'll have to keep an eye on him, and watch for what he plans to do to Hyrule, and be prepared to stop him when he makes his move."

"I guess it's all that can be done," Zelda says. She looks at the mark on the back of her hand again. "Will you help me with this? I can get you a room at the palace; we can work on this together."

Link shakes his head. "I can't. Not yet. There's things I need to do first. There's..." He tries to think back to the very beginning of his quest. "The Gorons have a dodongo problem that needs to be dealt with, and the Zora princess is trapped inside their sacred whale. And..."

He thinks back to the Temple, and Navi leaving him without saying a word.

"And I should see where my fairy's gone. But I'll be back." He reaches out to take Zelda's hand. "We can do this together."

"I'll be waiting for you," Zelda says. "Good luck with your quest."

* * *

Link is eleven when he gets back to Hyrule. He's spent so many weeks living the same three days over and over he's completely lost track of what day or month it is. It seems like fall, he supposes, but he's not sure if it's even the same year. He feels like he lived an entire lifetime in Termina.

He wonders if that makes this his third go around.

He heads for the castle. He has trouble sleeping at night during his trek. He keeps staring up at the moon, waiting for those malevolent glowing eyes to appear. He's seen it almost destroy the world more times than he can count.

When he does sleep, he dreams about Ganon bearing down on him again, his burning eyes staring out of Majora's Mask. He doesn't get much rest.

When he arrives in the city, he sneaks back into the castle. Zelda is out on the castle grounds again, practicing with a harp. She plucks the notes carefully, one at a time, making a slow and slightly off-tune song. At the sound of his approach, she smiles and stops her playing.

"Link!" she says. "You came back! Did you find your friend?"

"Did I...?" For a minute he can't remember who she's talking about. He's spent so much memorizing the lives and problems of the people of Termina that he can't remember his own. "No, I didn't. I got ... thrown off course." His brow furrows. "How long have I been gone?"

"Ten months or so. I've heard of what you did for the Goron and Zora peoples. You did good helping them out."

Link tries to think back to what he could have done for them in Hyrule, but his mind keeps flashing back to the fallen hero and the musician whose skin he shared. He still has the four transformation masks from Termina, but their magic no longer works. He supposes it means that their souls are finally at rest.

"Has... Has Ganondorf made any moves yet?"

"Not yet. He finally left the court and headed back to the Gerudo lands, but I still think he's planning something big."

"That's good," he says. He feels like there's something more he should add, but conflicting thoughts keep echoing through his head.

Zelda sets down her harp and places a hand on Link's forehead. "Are you okay? You seem awfully distracted."

Her hand is cool on his skin. He closes his eyes and feels the echoes of other flesh -- wood, stone, scales, fierce divinity -- resonate within himself.

"I think I need to be alone for a while," he says. "I've been too many people these past couple months."

Zelda looks puzzled but doesn't press it any further. "Take whatever time you need," she says. "I'll watch out for Ganondorf's plans until you're better."

"Thank you," Link says.

"Hey," Zelda says kindly, "Friends have to help each other out." She smiles. "And I consider you my friend. I'll send word to you if something comes up. Where do you live?"

Link has to think for a moment. He hasn't really had a place to call home since he first opened the doors in the Temple of Time.

"The Kokiri Forest," he finally decides. "I live there."

Zelda's eyes widen. "You're a Kokiri?"

Link shakes his head. "No. I'm not anything."

Even though he's been everything, he thinks to himself.

* * *

Link is twelve when the new Deku Tree Sprout is born. The Kokiri are in a rush of excitement. A new tree is only born every few hundred years, and none of them are quite old enough to remember when the old Deku Tree sprouted. They gather at the Deku Tree Sprout's grove to meet their new guardian.

Link hangs back a little bit. He shouldn't be here. He knows the truth about his heritage, but none of the others do. Despite all his searching, he still hasn't managed to find Navi. Wherever she went after she left him, it's beyond his reach. He's back to being Mister No Fairy, and the sight of the others with their fairy companions makes him a little sad.

They all get a chance to speak personally with the Deku Tree Sprout. Link places himself at the back of the line, so everyone else has gone back to the village when it's his turn. He doesn't want the others to overhear what he knows the Deku Tree Sprout will say.

It bobs eagerly as he approaches it slowly. "Hello Link!" it says cheerfully.

"Hello," Link answers.

"I am so glad you came to see me," the Deku Tree Sprout says. "I have something I must tell you about your past."

"I'm not a Kokiri, am I?" asks Link.

The Deku Tree Sprout seems surprised by this. "No, you are not. How did you know?"

"I figured it out," Link says. "I'm the only person here without a fairy, and I can leave the forest without dying. I've known for a while I was something else."

"You are a Hylian," the tree says. "During the great war, your mother fled here to the forest with you in her arms. She was gravely injured, and begged the Deku Tree to spare you. He could sense that you were marked with a great destiny, so he took you in and offered you the protection of this forbidden forest. You were raised as a Kokiri because he thought it would be safest for you."

"The others don't know, do they?"

"No," says the Deku Tree Sprout. "Mido and Saria may have some suspicions, but they do not know. But they will begin to suspect. Kokiri do not age. They will stay children forever; you will not. They may be confused to see you grow up."

"Will you force me to leave?" asks Link.

"Oh no," says the Deku Tree Sprout. "You may stay here as long as you like. The protection of the Kokiri Forest is yours forever. But you may not wish to stay. A greater destiny awaits you out in the world than you could ever find here."

Link thinks about Zelda, and Ganondorf, and all the things that happened to him in Termina and the other version of Hyrule.

"I think I'd like to live here a little while longer," he says. "I've had so much experience with destiny already."

"Of course," says the Deku Tree Sprout. "This will always be your home, no matter what happens to you."

For the moment, Link is glad to not have the weight of a world on his shoulders again.

* * *

Link is thirteen when he leaves the forest for good. He's getting taller; slowly growing back into the man he was before. Everyone asks him to stay, but he knows he can't. He's not a Kokiri. Grown-ups have no place in these woods.

Mido rants loudly to anyone who will listen about bidding good riddance to bad rubbish, but Link can see through his blustering.

Saria hugs him tightly as he prepares to leave. She's smaller than him now, and he almost feels he has to be gentle with her.

"Come back and visit," she says. "You're always welcome here."

"I will. I could never forget you."

"I should hope not," Saria teases. "I'm only your best friend, after all."

He takes one last backwards look at the forest, and then heads out to the wide world beyond.

He makes it to the castle town, and rents a room just off the main square. It's cramped, but it's enough. He sets up a shelf for the four masks he brought back from Termina, and Saria's prized ocarina.

He gets vivid flashbacks sometimes of the way things were in the other time: the city in ruins, redeads looking for flesh to eat, Ganondorf's dark castle looming over the city. He doesn't go out at night if he can help it.

But it's nice to be around other people, even if they give him odd looks for his green Kokiri clothing. Zelda has told the castle guards that he has her official permission to visit her, so he can now walk through the main gates without having to sneak in. The guards eye him suspiciously, but none of them trouble him when he asks to see the princess.

She's stopped wearing her childhood veil, and has started growing her blonde hair out. Link can start to see traces of the woman he knows she'll grow into.

"You got your ears pierced," she says.

Link touches one of the new metal rings in his ears. "Yeah. I thought I'd try something different."

"I think it suits you," Zelda says. She seems distracted. Her harp sits nearby, and she keeps idly plucking at the same two stings in an atonal melody.

"Is something wrong?" Link asks.

"Sort of," says Zelda. "Impa, my attendant, is from a small town nearby named Kakariko Village. She says that there's been some kind of dark miasma coming out of the village well for the last few days, and it's making people ill." She looks up at Link "You wouldn't know what could be causing it, would you?"

"There's an ancient evil sealed down there," Link says without hesitation. "Do you want me to deal with it?"

Zelda is surprised by the answer. "I hadn't thought of actually asking you to deal with it." She pauses. "Can you?"

"I think so," Link says. "I've fought it before. I'll need some things to reach its lair, though."

"You can have anything in my power to grant you. Thank you for this." She smiles. "You know, I think you'd make a good knight."

"I don't think I'm cut out for that kind of thing," Link says.

"Well, why not?" Zelda asks. "At the last state dinner, Chief Darunia was telling us exciting stories about how you saved their people from starvation by opening into the Dodongo's Cavern and killing the beast. King Zora told us that you saved his daughter and their great Lord Jabu Jabu. You have amazing talents and courage in facing challenges. Why not use them in the service of your country?"

"I'll consider it," Link says. "But first, let's see about helping Kakariko Village. Where do you keep your weapons?"

"The royal storeroom," Zelda says. "Let me show you where it is."

* * *

Link is fourteen when he applies to join the Knights of Hyrule. He passes the recruitment test with flying colours. He's the best new swordsman they've seen in a long time, and he has the uncanny ability to quickly master any weapon he's given.

He moves out of his rented room in the city and into the royal barracks. He takes Saria's ocarina and Termina's masks with him, but not much else.

They give him a sword of his own to use in training. Compared to the Master Sword, it's heavy and dull. It doesn't sing in his hand. He can use it just fine, but it lacks the almost spiritual connection he feels with the Master Sword.

Not that he could use the Master Sword yet without causing problems, anyway.

There's a ceremony to welcome the handful of new recruits. The king is busy with matters of state, so Zelda herself comes to the ceremony to give them a welcome speech. She is saluted by the senior knights before being escorted to a raised platform set up at the front of the training courtyard.

Her eyes light up at the sight of Link, but she manages to hide it behind royal decorum.

"On behalf of my father the king, I wish to thank you all for joining the Knights of Hyrule. You will all be part of an ancient order, one which has been tasked with defending Hyrule since the very founding of our kingdom.

"Becoming a knight bares a heavy responsibility, not just to my father, but to the country itself and all those who live there. For Hyrule is its people, and keeping them safe is the greatest task a knight can undertake, not matter who or what they may be.

" So this I say to you: may wisdom guide your actions, power support your goodness--"

She turns her gaze to Link.

"And courage see you through trials you may face."

* * *

Link is fifteen when rumours start coming out of the western desert. They say the Gerudo king is organizing something big, but no one in Hyrule is quite sure what's up.

Link is in the middle of a sword drill with the other knights in training when he receives a summon from Princess Zelda. She's in her chambers, pouring over maps and documents.

"It's finally happening," she says. "Ganondorf seems to be making his move. The problem is that we can't get any details about what exactly he's up to. The Gerudos are a society of warriors who are deeply hostile to outsiders. It would be hard to sneak anyone into their city without them noticing."

She sighs. "What we really need is a Gerudo insider," she says. "Someone who can give us information on Ganondorf's activities without giving themselves away. Gerudos are so insular that it'd be hard to send a Hylian to do the job."

A sudden thought hits Link. "I know the woman we should talk to."

Zelda looks at him funny. "You know a Gerudo spy."

"I do, in a way. Before, in the other time, I met a Gerudo thief who strongly opposed Ganondorf. I think we could trust her to bring us information."

Zelda still looks dubious. "Have you met her here?"

"No," he admits. "But people haven't changed that much this time over. She's also one of the chosen Sages."

"You… You know who the Sages are?"

"I do," Link said. "I'm not sure how to awaken them as Sages here, but I know who they are and where they can be found."

There's a pause as Zelda considers that.

"You need to go visit them," she finally says. "Speak with them. Convince them to lend us support for when Ganondorf rides against Hyrule."

"I can't," Link says. "I don’t know all of them here. They have no reason no trust me."

"But Link: you're a Hylian who was adopted by the Kokiri, you're sworn brothers with the Goron chief, you saved the Zora princess. You're the only one with connections to all them, who can reach out and unite all the races of Hyrule. We need unity if we're going to stand against Ganondorf's forces."

He thinks it over. He supposes she's right. He gathered the Sages last time around; even if he's not sure how to reach Rauru here, it can't hurt trying to talk to them.

"I'll do it," he said.

Zelda lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she says. "I'll tell the Master Knight you're on assignment for me. Talk to your Gerudo contact, and then go find the Sages. If this is it, we'll need all the help we can get."

* * *

Link is sixteen when Ganondorf attacks.

They're ready for him this time, so when he and his Gerudo warriors march on Hyrule, there's a joint force of Hylians, and Gorons, and Zoras, and Gerudo rebels there to stop him. Ganondorf's forces are taken by surprise, and despite the intensity of the battles, the Hylian army manages to keep his invasion contained.

The king and the princess stay behind in the castle where they'll be protected, but a mysterious Sheikah boy joins the fight. He's fast and strong, and his daggers rarely miss their target.

He and Link sit around the campfire with the other troops at the edge of the road leading to Gerudo Canyon. It's late and they've been fighting for days, but they can sense the tide is turning. Ganondorf's troops are faltering against the assault, and being pushed back to the Gerudo lands. It won’t be long now until they take him down.

Link sips at a bowl of hot soup while Sheik sits beside him and plucks at his harp. He plays a soft little tune. It's something half familiar to Link, but nothing he can quite put his finger on.

"You've gotten much better at that," Link says.

"I've had a lot of time to practice," Sheik says. "Playing the harp is relaxing."

"Hmm." It's almost nice sitting out here surrounded by the troops of Hyrule, letting Sheik's playing echo softly enough for only the two of them to hear.

"It's a good thing the princess isn't here," Link says. "You know how it is with royals. They never do anything useful. They stand around posturing and let other people do all the hard work."

Sheik raises an eyebrow but doesn't stop his playing. "Do you have issues with the way the royal family does things?"

Link leans back against a rock. "I think we can do better," he says jokingly. "You know, I was raised as a Kokiri, and they have no leader, just a wise talking tree who gives out mysterious advice. That wouldn't be much different than the people who rule Hyrule now."

Sheik lets out a low chuckle. "I'm sure. Once we defeat Ganondorf's army, we can take a vote about which kind of shrubbery can best rule Hyrule."

Link lifts the bowl and finishes his soup. Sheik stops playing and moves over to lean against Link's arm.

"Is this what the fight with Ganondorf was like in that other life you lived?" he asks softly.

Link sets the bowl down on the ground.

"No. The first time around it was just me. You gave me some good help and advice, but I had to fight his minions and awaken the sages on my own. Everyone else in Hyrule had been too beaten down by seven years of Ganondorf's rule to stand against him anymore. It was a difficult fight, but I did it."

"It must have been hard to do it all by yourself," Sheik says.

He drifts off into silence and Link almost thinks that he's gone to sleep when Sheik adds, "I promise, you'll never have to do it alone again. There's a lot of people who like you, who you've helped, and who will help you out with your struggles. All you have to do is ask, and someone will help you."

Sheik leans his head against Link's shoulder. "I know I will."

Link is too touched to say much. "Thank you," he manages.

Tomorrow will be a hard day of battle and attacking Ganondorf's stronghold, but tonight, just for a moment, everything is peaceful.

Out of old habit, he keeps a wary eye on the moon.

* * *

Link is finally seventeen again when the news comes that King Harkinian has died. It's not unexpected; he's been sick for some time, and Zelda has been essentially running the kingdom for a while now. The court is sad for his loss, but relieved that his suffering has ended.

Everything else is put on hold in preparation for the king's state funeral and Zelda's coronation. Even Ganondorf's trial is put off until the big events are over. Link doesn't like the idea of him sitting around in the Arbiter's Grounds, but there's not much that can be done until a stable government is re-established.

Zelda disappears from public after her father's funeral. After two days of not seeing her, Link gets worried. He goes out searching for her, and finds her in a seldom used guest room in one of the castle's towers.

Zelda sits on the edge of the bed. Her tiara rests in her hands, and she restlessly plays with it. Link shuts the door behind him.

"Everyone's looking for you. They're worried about you," he says.

"I'll come down. I just need a little time to myself before everything changes."

"Are you worried about the coronation?"

Zelda lets out a deep breath and sets the tiara down on her lap. "Everyone's coming," she says. "All kinds of major dignitaries. The Zora princess, the Goron chief, the Gerudo vizier, Kokiri Sage, the Deku king." She looks up at Link. "Did you know that Dekus had an established society, let alone a monarchy? I didn't. A queen should know these things."

Link sits down next to Zelda and takes her hands in his. "You'll be a wonderful queen. You're already ruling the country; this just makes it official." He runs a thumb over the back of her right hand. Her mark glows a bit at his touch. "Not just anyone can be chosen by the Triforce of Wisdom."

"That doesn't make it any easier." She looks up at Link, and the touch of a smile crosses her serious face. "But thank you. Your support all these years has meant so much to me."

She straightens up.

"I want to make a request of you," she says. "During the coronation, I’m supposed to have a knight on either side of me, partially for protection but mostly for ceremony. I’d like you to be one of them."

Link is surprised at the request. "Me? There must be much more senior knights who should be there."

"There are, but none of this would have been possible without you, Link. Without your warnings and the way you helped unify all the races of Hyrule, Ganondorf would have surprised us and conquered everything.

"You told me a story once of a different version of Hyrule, where Ganondorf used the Triforce of Power to spread death and chaos across the land. And here we are now, seven years on, and we've managed to avoid that fate."

She smiles for real, and it lights up her face with a dazzling light. "We've saved Hyrule, Link."

He thinks on that. No one will ever know all the pain and danger he went through as the Hero of Time. No one will ever know how he fought a monster to save them from the dark rule of the corrupted Triforce of Power.

But in the seven years he's spent growing up again, he and Zelda have helped everyone in Hyrule find a chance to live in peace, to live daily lives full of small happinesses without the threat of war.

And maybe, he thinks, that's enough.


End file.
